classifiedscript Chapter 84 The Real Purpose
Chapter 84 The Real Purpose
Chapter 84 The Real Purpose
His fingertips unconsciously traced the cool rim of the wine glass, and an almost dizzying ecstasy slowly crept up his spine. Ernst felt like he'd just won the lottery. He approached Jobs without ever considering Pixar.
Pixar was tempting, but he knew they couldn't sell at this point in time.
The success of Toy Story enabled Pixar to go public and opened up even greater possibilities.
Even though there's not much market attention right now, and there's a hint of skepticism, even if Steve Jobs wanted to sell Pixar, he would definitely wait until Pixar's next few films are released to see how the market reacts.
If Pixar makes money, its market value will definitely improve. If it loses money, it won't have a significant impact on Steve Jobs' potential sale.
He didn't spend much money when he acquired Pixar, so how much could he possibly lose?
Moreover, the contract was just signed with Disney, so Disney will protect and guarantee its success.
Jobs knew very well that selling Pixar now would be unwise.
Does Ernst want to acquire Pixar? The answer is yes.
However, his idea is to wait for Pixar and Disney to part ways, something that has happened in history.
First, they pressured Pixar with funding issues, just like they are doing now.
After Steve Jobs cracked this tactic, the two sides entered a period of peaceful development, followed by the huge success of Pixar's next four animated films.
Steve Jobs wasn't exactly a saint either. After seeing the success of four animated films, he decided to go solo after his contract expired and leave Disney behind.
Pixar financed its subsequent films, with major Hollywood studios acting as regular distributors and earning a 10% distribution fee.
Disney knew Pixar was a cash cow, but it couldn't stop Pixar from leaving, so it resorted to wordplay.
For example, does the already released "Toy Story 2" count as part of a five-movie contract?
Disney's reasoning is simple: the contract stipulates five new movies, so how can this sequel be considered a new movie?
Pixar argued that if this didn't count, then why would they keep asking them to make sequels? When would they ever be able to go solo? They wanted Disney to continue feeding on them.
That period was Disney's lowest point.
Computer animation no longer needs to prove it's the future, and hand-drawn animation has no market. Disney, the animation giant, has clearly failed to keep up with the times.
Therefore, Disney's tyrant Eisner firmly stated that sequels would not be included in the five-film contract, and that subsequent sequels would not be included either, otherwise he would blacklist them.
Jobs immediately exploded, flipped the table, and refused to play anymore.
The result was that Disney fired Eisner, and his successor, Robert Iger, went to great lengths to appease Jobs, eventually even acquiring Pixar.
Ernst wanted to wait until Pixar and Disney had a falling out before intervening to bring Pixar into MGM's fold.
But who would have thought that there would be an opportunity to share in Pixar's growth benefits ahead of time?
Acquiring a stake in Pixar would be a major incentive for MGM to acquire Pixar in the future.
"How many shares are you prepared to offer for financing?"
When Pixar sought funding from Wall Street, given its proven track record and promising future, Wall Street was unlikely to forgo equity and simply offer loans.
Even if Pixar's next film loses money, Wall Street isn't worried. Does that mean all subsequent films will continue to lose money indefinitely?
As long as a work is successful, Wall Street has room to maneuver.
Another point is why Steve Jobs didn't borrow money from banks. This is the logic of a businessman: to share the risk.
No one can foresee the future, and no one can guarantee what Pixar's future trajectory will be, just like with financing and going public.
"Around 20%," Jobs didn't hide anything.
"I think after this charity gala, you can go to MGM and have a chat; you might be pleasantly surprised."
.
Just because Ernst mentioned investing in Pixar doesn't mean Jobs should give up his contacts with Wall Street.
However, when it comes to valuing Pierce, Ernst is definitely better able to give a figure that satisfies Wall Street than Wall Street.
Jobs looked at Ernst's serious expression and nodded solemnly, "Definitely."
Ernst was so sincere; with one more competitor driving up the price, he had no reason to refuse.
Having achieved his goal, Ernst changed the subject, "And you? Will you go back to Apple?"
Jobs was even more surprised this time than Ernst was when he said he wanted to invest in Pixar.
Outsiders say he harbors a grudge against Apple, and the two sides have been estranged ever since. Even his actions after leaving Apple were seen as targeting the company.
"Do you think I can go back to Apple given our relationship?"
Ernst laughed, amused by the hidden meaning in Jobs' expression.
"Stop kidding. I know this company is your brainchild, carrying on your true will and ideals. If Apple extends an olive branch to you, you will definitely not hesitate."
"Given Apple's current predicament, do you think there's anyone more suitable than you to save Apple from this crisis?"
"No one knows this company better than you. Look at the previous CEOs; in just over a decade, they took Apple's market share from 40% to 4%. At this rate, bankruptcy won't be far off."
"At this point, do you think Apple's board of directors wouldn't think of who led Apple to its peak? Do you think that person might contact you?"
If we were to pinpoint Apple's worst year, it would undoubtedly be 1997.
The company's market value has fallen to $30 billion, less than half that of Huaxia Changhong TV, and it could file for bankruptcy at any moment.
Ernst's analysis and praise surprised and intrigued Jobs. "I'm finding you more and more of an interesting little fellow," he said, "but who knows what the future holds?"
This statement already shows that Steve Jobs still cared about Apple.
Ernst jokingly remarked, "If Apple doesn't bring you back, I think this company is not far from bankruptcy. At that point, I will definitely buy the company and ask you to take charge."
Jobs burst into laughter, his face no longer displaying its signature smile, but rather a variety of expressions.
"Okay, I look forward to that day."
Ernst lowered his head and pursed his lips; he wasn't just saying it for show.
His real purpose this time was to prepare for joining Apple in the future.
"What about .NET? If you were to go back to Apple, what would you think of that company?"
Steve Jobs stated matter-of-factly, "If that day ever comes, Apple will definitely buy it."
This is standard practice in the industry. When a CEO of a small company is valued by a large company, and both parties are interested, the large company will acquire the small company, which is also known as a buyout fee.
Meeting Ernst's innocent smile, Jobs realized, "Wait, you're not interested in this company too, are you?"
Interested? Of course I'm interested.
After .NET sales fell short of expectations, Steve Jobs had to shift the focus of .NET from hardware to software development, which became the famous NeXTSTEP.
This software system was the precursor to all later Apple systems, such as macOS and iOS, which were all derived from it.
The fact that Apple was able to survive the WinteI alliance between Microsoft and Intel demonstrates just how powerful Apple's operating system is.
If it weren't for the partnership between Microsoft and Intel, Apple might have been the one to dominate the operating system market later on, rather than Microsoft.
The full-color icons were far more aesthetically pleasing than Microsoft's icons at the same time.
Moreover, Steve Jobs was remarkably forward-thinking in using Objective-C as the primary programming language, which greatly simplified the cost of software development.
Ernst wanted to acquire NeXTSTEP to gain access to Apple, and later Google, and unify the entire operating system industry in the future mobile internet era.
Of course, they will also enter the hardware manufacturing industry through operating systems, doing the same thing as Microsoft is doing now: creating mobile carrier platforms.
In the future, whether it's a mobile phone, tablet, or any other software platform, as long as you're connected to the mobile internet, you'll need to use my software and hardware.
"I've said it before, I'm a fan of yours. I really love net computers, and if possible, I'd like to promote them all over the world."
Steve Jobs was pleased that someone could see the value in .NET, but said, "You're probably going to be disappointed; I have no intention of selling it."
Jobs refused, but Ernst was not discouraged at all.
The other party is unwilling to sell now, but that doesn't mean they won't sell in the future.
Once Steve Jobs returned to Apple, .NET became a burden; he didn't have much time to manage a company anymore.
Whether it's Apple's current funding issues or the fact that NET doesn't seem to be of much help to Apple at the moment.
If Ernst could offer a high price, he imagined that given Jobs' love for Apple, he wouldn't refuse.
"You two seem to be having a pleasant conversation?"
Ernst was about to speak when a voice from behind interrupted them.
"Mr. Reed, thank you for your invitation."
The person who arrived was John Reid, the CEO of Citibank, who initiated the dinner.
The three greeted me, and John Reed apologized to Jobs, saying, "I might have to interrupt your conversation. Would you mind if I spoke with your child alone?"
Jobs shrugged. "Can I make that decision?"